


Christmastime is here!

by shulkie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ereri Secret Santa, Fluff and Smut, Husbands, M/M, Rimming, Silly, bareback, very fluff, very smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 09:10:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5491703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shulkie/pseuds/shulkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren and Levi decide to give each other only handmade gifts for Christmas. Levi has to get...creative with his gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmastime is here!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [A26](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A26/gifts).



> ERERI SECRET SANTA!
> 
> The prompt was: Adorableness, any good old fashioned smut. Bonus for funny smut. Dorky pining, Levi actually loving the crap out of Christmas. Dicks in boxes because why not.
> 
> AND I AIM TO DELIVER! BEHOLD! Married dorks au!
> 
> My tumblr is [perksofbeingawaifu](http://perksofbeingawaifu.tumblr.com/).
> 
> If you like please leave kudos and/or comments! They mean a lot to me!

To Levi, Eren was perfect. A perfect darling boyfriend and now a perfect doting husband. And so supportive, which was great because starting from scratch was hard. He stood by Levi getting his sorely needed GED and now he stood by him as he went through vet tech school and worked part-time at the shelter. Eren reminded Levi that he was deserving of everything even when they had nothing, and for that, and so much more, Levi loved him.

However, perfect though he may be, Eren had some slightly less perfect qualities. They in no way diminished how Levi felt for his husband, but they were…interesting. Life with Eren was never boring, that’s for sure. Some were small infractions like leaving his towels on the floor after drying off—which he was already taking great strides to correct! However, others Levi was probably stuck with, such as Eren’s gift giving abilities.

There, Levi could admit it. Eren was a terrible gift giver. Not that Levi was much better, because he couldn’t afford half of the items Eren deserved, but Eren’s gifts, while enthusiastic, were often baffling. Like the footie pajamas two Christmases ago (“Because I know you’re cold in the morning!”). And the confusing bottle of apple cider for his birthday (“I know you liked going apple picking!”). Or the framed photo of Tom Cruise for Valentine’s day (“I know how you love Top Gun!”). Last Christmas Eren had given him the dreaded _double gift_.

The double gift is what Christmas babies like Levi know as a large gift that is for both birthday and Christmas. They are usually a letdown.

Eren’s double gift last year was a statue of a cat because, “I know you really wanted to adopt that Maine Coon at the shelter!”

So he got Levi this chipped painted cat. Not a real cat, mind you. A statue of one.

Levi hated that thing. He accepted all of Eren’s terrible gifts with a quiet, “Thank you” and managed not to cringe as Eren placed it in the window at the top of the stairs so Levi could, “See it every day!” It followed Levi’s every move with its lamp-like orange eyes and he found himself hugging the wall to turn the corner.

This year was different. Student loans and the move into the house had wiped out their finances. Levi would say it was only cup ramen for them every night but the truth was even cup ramen was a little out of their depth. Too pricey. Most breakfasts were bulk oatmeal and dinners were…also oatmeal. Sometimes they livened things up with spaghetti. Eren had gotten very good at adding special touches like frozen peas to the spaghetti, just in case Levi ever got bored. God, Levi loved that man.

Despite their lack of funds, Eren was dedicated to making the best Christmas possible for Levi. He knew Christmas was Levi’s favorite time of year. Having Christmas and his birthday all on one day meant he had some fond memories of his mother waking him up to the snowfall out the window and fixing him his favorite French toast sticks with cinnamon apples (okay maybe the apple cider wasn’t that odd of a gift) and dusted with powdered sugar. One year, with a few extra shifts, she actually saved up enough to buy him a large gift. She handed him a brightly wrapped box and he opened it to find a clue which led him to the kitchen and in the flour he found another clue that took him on a chase throughout the entire home until he opened the garage and found a ten speed bike. Sure Kenny had sold it later to help pay for Levi’s mother’s medical bills, but still, it was memories like that which Levi clung to when Christmas came around. The second the weather turned the corner from crisp leaves to sprinkles of snow, his mood perked up considerably.

They couldn’t afford lights or other expensive trappings, but Eren cut up construction paper for snowflakes and one evening came home with a very dilapidated tree that was missing all of its needles on one side.

“Eren, what is that?” Levi asked.

“Can you believe the tree guy was just going to throw this baby away?”

“Yes,” Levi answered as Eren shook a mountain of needles onto their floor.

“We’ll just put the brown side to the wall!” Eren said, still dragging the shedding tree over.

Levi tried to hang one bauble off of the branches and it snapped off in his hand and shattered the ornament. He sighed. So more construction paper it was. They’d long run out of red, green, and white so their tree was festooned with orange, yellow and blue.

“Look!” Eren had said, grabbing several pinecones from outside and spraying them with the toilet air freshener. “Who needs to buy scented pinecones when we came make our own!”

And since money was tight, Levi and Eren agreed on homemade gifts only. No buying wrapping paper, no buying materials, just making something using what they had around the house. They certainly had enough craft goods stuffed in every closet. Eren was a kindergarten teacher and what he lacked in a paycheck he made up for in glitter.

Eren, Levi figured, would actually be good at making something. Too good, in fact. This might be the one holiday he delivered a better gift than Levi. Not that it was a competition, obviously, but Levi was going to win. The problem was, Levi wasn’t good at making anything. He’d taken Home Ec instead of shop class. Maybe he could bake something? He could make Eren’s favorite tiramisu…but he’d need to buy the ladyfingers, damnit, that was against the rules. Levi didn’t worry, he didn’t stress, he figured something would come to him in time. But then Eren started locking himself away in their bedroom, banning Levi from entering while he toiled away on his presents and Levi started to worry just a little. Then Eren placed a tiny gift wrapped with the coupons from the _Sav-Mor!_ and tied with twine and Levi finally began to panic.

Between school and work, there wasn’t time to work on Eren’s gift and then it was the 23rd and he had nothing! They were supposed to exchange gifts on the Christmas Eve since Christmas Day Mikasa was driving them out to Armin’s grandfather’s house in the country.

“Hanji, what do I do?” he asked them for the fourth time that day.

“Just do what I do for every gift,” Hanji said, chewing on some peppermint bark.

“Which is?”

“I give myself,” they said, sweeping their hands down their scrubs.

Fucking useless.

Except he found himself grasping at straws—literally—he picked up some straw for the rabbits at the shelter.

“What about this? Can I make something from this?” he asked Petra. “What about the holly outside?”

She only clucked her tongue sympathetically and patted his shoulder.

Eren got up early Christmas Eve day as he’d volunteered to stay behind at the school shoveling the walk for a little extra pay. The second he was out the door, Levi kicked off the covers and ran down the stairs.

“Jesus Christ!” he jumped, whipping a slipper at the cat statue.

He pulled out all of Eren’s craft supplies and then spent a good half hour cleaning up the glitter mess.

“Fuck,” he sighed looking at pipe cleaners. Then to the cat-statue, “What can I make out of pipe cleaners?”

[Levi:] I give up, I have no gift for Eren.

[Hanji:] Give him the Ddddddddddd

He stared at his phone then at the ribbons in the craft box. Fuck it.

If he was going to give that to Eren, then he was going to commit, damnit! He spent a good half hour looking up Martha Stewart tutorials on how to tie the perfect bow but it became clear there was a problem. See, if he tied on the bow while his, er, member was soft, if it became… _less soft_ due to excitement, then the ribbon was uncomfortably tight. But if he tied it on while he was hard…it would just fall off not moments later when the Polar Vortex that was their house hit him.

“Fuck you Martha Stewart!” Levi growled at their ancient wheezing laptop, sitting in the office chair without pants.

[Levi:] Hanji suggested I give Eren my dick as a Christmas present but I can’t get the bow to stay on.

Erwin never texted when calling would do, he was old school that way. Or just old.

“Why can’t you just buy him a DVD like normal people?” Erwin asked.

“Yikes, I hope you didn’t get Mike a movie for Christmas. No, we agreed this year we’d make our gifts.”

“Oh. I don’t think your dick counts. Technically, you didn’t make that, your parents did. And what do you mean, you can’t get it to stay on?” Erwin asked.

“If it’s hard, then it just will slip off before Eren gets to see it.”

“Okay, well, I don’t know why you’re so excited about ribbons,” Erwin said, missing the fucking point as per usual.

There was mumbling in the background.

“He’s trying to tie a bow on his dick,” Erwin explained to Mike and Levi sighed. “I really didn’t ask. Yeah. Mike says you should tie it behind the balls like a cock ring, but I don’t think that’s safe for long term wear.”

“Forget it, I quit. I have nothing to give my husband for Christmas.”

“Don’t you have that ancient sewing machine still? Can’t you sew him something?”

“Oh god, I forgot about that thing,” Levi said, his nose wrinkling. “It’s still boxed away.”

It was his mother’s. He’d inherited it after she died. Levi wiped dust off the box. This led to a brief dusting of the garage after which he pulled out the machine and carried it to the dining table. Maybe it didn’t even work anymore? He tapped the treadle and it zipped to life. It’s alive! Levi looked at his phone. Only an hour until Eren was home. Why couldn’t he have remembered this thing a week ago!?

He grabbed Eren’s craft felt and quickly stitched, not really knowing what he was making until he was halfway done. He snapped a picture of it after he snipped the last thread.

[Levi:] I think this turned out really well

[Hanji:] the stockings are indeed hung

Eren breezed in the door, kicking off his boots, cheeks pink and looking thoroughly exhausted. He trudged over to the fridge and opened the eggnog, drinking from the carton (another one of his less perfect qualities).

“Levi? I’m back. I’m so tired, I—“

He stopped and looked at Levi standing there completely naked except for the felt stocking he’d sewn.

“Merry Christmas,” Levi said in a low purr.

Eren spit out his drink.

“I—what?” Eren sputtered, laughing hysterically.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough of—okay I get it! Jesus! It’s not that funny!”

“Oh god Levi, it hurts, oh my sides hurt,” Eren doubled over.

“Yeah, yeah,” Levi rolled his eyes, leaving the kitchen.

“What are you wearing?” Eren wheezed.

“My Christmas gift to you,” Levi finished lamely. “Stop laughing.”

“I’m not laughing,” Eren said, covering his mouth but his eyes were shimmering with mirth.

“I’m serious! Stop!” Levi said pushing him over on the couch.

He grabbed Eren’s wrists to pull his hands away from his mouth.

“See, you are laughing at me,” Levi accused, pinning Eren on the couch.

“ _With you_ , my love. I’m laughing _with_ you,” Eren said, his lips still curling upwards.

“It is a pretty dumb idea, isn’t it,” Levi sighed, releasing him and collapsing his full weight onto Eren.

“No, I mean, look at this construction!” Eren said, stroking Levi’s back. “What are these straps for?”

“To keep it from falling off,” Levi said with a small amount of pride.

“Wow, you put a lot of work into this…this really terrible idea, oh I can’t,” Eren started shaking again with laughter, fingers slipping under the straps. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Fucking freezing,” Levi grunted.

Eren fumbled for the blanket, pulling it over Levi and warming them both.

“So a dick stocking was my gift?” Eren asked, rubbing Levi’s nose with his own to warm him.

“No, I figured I’d give you what was in it,” Levi explained.

Eren started shaking in laughter again.

“It’s the thought that counts,” Levi grumbled, curling his hands in Eren’s flannel shirt.

“Your hands are so cold. Sitting at that sewing machine all day working your poor fingers to the bone,” Eren said, pulling Levi’s knuckles to his lips and kissing them.

“Mmm,” Levi grunted.

“And your poor cold nose,” Eren said, kissing that as well.

“Mmm,” Levi repeated, squirming a little on top of him. “So cold.”

“Where else is cold?” Eren asked.

“My ears. No wait—“

Eren was already busy nibbling on them and breathing in soft puffs against Levi’s cheek.

“Where else?” Eren asked, his face so close to Levi that his lips brushed against him as he spoke.

“Everywhere,” Levi said in a low rumble, looking down at Eren through his dark lashes.

Eren hummed happily catching Levi’s lip with his soft mouth, brushing a chapped thumb against his chin. Levi responded in kind, sucking on Eren’s ample bottom lip, his tongue reaching out to find Eren’s own. Levi could taste the outside air and snow on Eren and as he nuzzled him, his smooth cheek found the scratchy 5 o’clock shadow. He dragged his lips across Eren’s cheek, bruised skin catching on the stubble before he nipped at his earlobe. Eren wrapped his legs around Levi’s hips and pulled him down closer eagerly.

“So, uh,” Eren cleared his throat, brushing Levi’s bangs off his forehead to see his eyes better. “Is this also part of my Christmas gift?”

Levi nearly smacked him with a pillow, but as Eren put his hands up laughing, he changed his mind.

“Yeah, why not?” he agreed, dropping it on the floor and resuming his place between Eren’s legs.

“Really?” Eren asked amusedly.

“Yeah, but it’s gonna be really special Christmas sex,” Levi said, leaning his hips heavily against Eren’s to feel just how warm he was down there.

“Special Christmas sex,” Eren repeated, grinning with his tongue between his teeth. “How do you achieve that?”

Levi captured his mouth again and then worked at the many layers Eren was wearing to get to the hollow of his neck. Eren groaned in that comfortable way that frequent lovers have.

“I’ll do that thing you like,” Levi said simply, giving a positively devilish grin as he undid every single one of Eren’s flannel buttons.

“Wait, you will?” Eren asked sitting up. “What about ‘Never again!’”

“Christmas miracle,” Levi deadpanned, lifting Eren’s waffleknit up to suck at his stomach.

“Oh fuck, fuck,” Eren said, fumbling with his belt.

Levi slapped his hands away and Eren held them up as if in surrender. Levi undid his belt easily with a steely glint in his eyes that had Eren’s stomach doing flips and his heart fluttering in his chest.

“Roll over,” Levi ordered, grabbing Eren’s hips and turning him.

“This is awkward, I feel all exposed with my face in the pillows ha-ah!” Eren said in a muffled voice.

Levi tugged the jeans down just past the rise of Eren’s ass, pausing to kiss his tailbone.

“Oh wow, you’re really going for it, okay, um, I mean, listen, it’s okay you didn’t get me a gift for Christmas, the important thing is that we have each—ow!”

Levi admired the red mark on Eren’s cheek and made a matching set by biting the other.

“I mean, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Eren continued babbling as Levi pulled his pants down to his thighs. “And while it would be nice, I understand if you don’t want to. I mean, I did clean up really well in the shower this morning (you should know, you were there), but I was also shoveling snow and—“

He cut off with a lingering whimper as Levi’s fingers ghosted down over his perineum and sack, brushing against the underside of his cock and stopping just short of the head. Levi gave a heavy lick, dragging his tongue over the seam of his balls and Eren exhaled with the motion. He pulled his tongue away and blew cool air against it, making Eren jerk a little in the freezing house.

“Don’t do that s’cold,” Eren mumbled, cheeks flushed.

Levi mocked Eren imitating his complaint and giving a pouty whine as he sucked on one ball. The vibrations made Eren kick a little and Levi responded with another hum.

“I like that, that’s nice,” Eren rested a cheek against the moose pillow, mouth parted and brows furrowed.

Levi dragged his tongue up and Eren gave another little whimper, pulling his thumb to his mouth so he could worry at the cuticles. He moved away, teasing Eren who was looking back at him with large eyes. He sat back for a moment and then spat into his hand, wincing a little at the gesture and slicking Eren’s cock all the way to the head.

“Oh fuck that’s—“

Eren was cut off as Levi lapped at his hole, his tongue pressing as he stroked Eren. He rubbed the pad of his thumb against his slick entrance and continued licking at him. Eren wriggled, trying to get further away from Levi’s deft tongue. Levi pulled off his pants completely, then set Eren back right, spreading his ass and sucking at him. He allowed one hand to drift down and resume stroking him in time with his tongue flicks. Each time he brought his hand to the base he swept figure eights across Eren’s sack with his thumb stimulating the sensitive skin there and making him shiver in his hands.

“Levi!” Eren groaned.

The windows had steamed up from their foreplay and Eren’s moans and little gasps grew louder.

“Levi!” he said again, this time with a hint of impatience.

“What?” Levi asked, picking his head up, still stroking him.

“I’m getting close,” Eren gasped.

“That’s okay, just let me take care of you,” Levi crooned, his hand snaking up Eren’s spine to grab at the slightly curling hairs on the back of his head.

“No, I want—baby, I want your cock, I need your cock, please?” Eren begged.

Levi felt that fluttering sensation in his chest, the same one he had whenever he was around Eren. It was why he fell in love with him. It was why he married him.                                                                       

“Sure yeah, let me get this stupid thing off,” Levi said, standing up and kicking off the stocking.

Eren rolled onto his side, worrying at his lip and tapping his fingers on his naked hip agitatedly.

“Let’s get you out of these clothes,” Levi said, grabbing Eren’s pant legs and pulling them off completely.

He slipped flannel off Eren’s shoulders sucking at his neck as he did so, then pulled the waffle knit over his head. Grabbing the lube, he placed one of Eren’s legs over his shoulder, sucking at the calf as he did so.

“Hurry up!” Eren pleaded, jiggling his ankle.

Levi uncapped the lube and then paused staring at it.

“What?” Eren asked.

Levi hesitated.

“I don’t want to get lube on the couch.”

“Levi!” Eren tossed his head back in exasperation.

“It’s the one nice thing we own, Eren!”

“Fine,” Eren said.

He wrapped his legs around Levi who hoisted him into his arms.

“You’re not exactly light,” Levi grunted.

“Baby, come on baby,” Eren whispered breath hot in Levi’s ear.

Levi made a misstep, tripping over Eren’s boots. Leaving his shoes everywhere instead of the very nice cubby Levi had set up was another slightly less perfect habit of his.

“Whoopsie, going down!” he said, smacking his elbows on the carpeted stairs.

He managed to catch Eren’s head before they fell, cradling the back of his neck, but he winced as his knees struck a step.

“Ow,” he muttered into Eren’s chest. “You okay?”

Eren hummed in response, nudging his heel against Levi’s cheek, pulling him closer. He dug his nails into Levi’s back, scratching him. Levi shivered, partly due to the cold, partly to the desperate way Eren clung to him. He found a hard nipple and sucked at it causing Eren to throw his head back in bliss.

“You can’t even wait until we get up the stairs, can you?” Levi asked.

“Nope,” Eren shook his head, biting back a grin.

Levi responded by tickling Eren’s ribs.

“Fuck!” Eren laughed.

Levi kissed at Eren’s tan stomach, still dark and aglow even in the dull winter months. He quickly uncapped the lube and warmed some onto his fingers. He slid a finger inside and joined it with his tongue lapping at Eren’s opening. Together they worked, Eren tangling his hands in his own hair as his voice grew louder and louder. Eren opened up for him beautifully and when Levi took his time he began bucking shallowly against Levi’s fingers, grinding against Levi’s chin. Levi played with his ballskin, pulling lightly and rolling him around in his hands. Eren was flush, one foot braced against a stair below them and his hands scrambling for purchase on the landing. Levi realized the soft sheen on Eren’s skin was sweat, he was actually sweating in this freezing house! Meanwhile, Levi’s hand had a cramp as he slipped in a third finger feeling how tight and good Eren was against him.

“Levi,” Eren arched his back, falling back helplessly as he failed to reach that climax. “Please baby I’m so close, I just need you.”

Levi removed his fingers and fell against the stairs on his forearms again in an awkward plank.

“Alright, I’ve got some condoms upstairs and—“

Eren grabbed Levi’s cheeks and pulled him closer. He didn’t meet Levi’s eyes at first. Levi’s arms shook in the cold so he dropped the plank, sliding his body along Eren’s. His cock fell between Eren’s warm thighs heavily. Eren pulled at Levi’s hips again and he felt it brush against Eren’s entrance. Levi teased him, rubbing his cock there just to see Eren squirm and Eren brought his hips up inviting him.

“You can, if you want,” Eren said, his voice quiet but his eyes dark and filled with lust.

“You sure?” Levi asked, searching Eren’s eyes. “We don’t have to, really the condoms are right up there—“

“I don’t want to make a habit of it, but…I’d really like it. We haven’t done it this way in a really long time.”

As he spoke, Eren’s hands pulled him closer and he was so warm. He was right. The last time they’d done it this way had been on their honeymoon to Niagra Falls. Levi pressed against him, locking eyes as he entered him slowly.

“Oh god!” Eren moaned through Levi’s stroke.

Levi bit Eren’s shoulder and Eren pulled him deeper.

“Oh fuck, I’m already so close, oh fuck I love your cock!” Eren gasped.

“Yeah?” Levi asked, giving a small jerk of his hips. “You like my cock?”

“Yes, Levi! Please!”

Levi sank until his length was fully inside Eren putting a shaking hand through his hair to toss his bangs out of his eyes. He stilled and Eren waited.

“What?” Eren asked.

“That cat statue is watching us,” Levi whispered.

“…Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Eren asked looking behind him.

He shoved Levi off and stood up. Opening the window, he grabbed the statue with both hands and tossed it out into the snow. He slammed it shut angrily.

“There!” he said throwing his hands in the air and marching up the second flight of stairs to the bedroom.

“Eren! Wait!” Levi said, catching him by his ankle.

Eren fell on his hands and knees but continued up the stairs.

“I can’t believe you,” Eren grumbled as Levi pulled him back down two steps. “You interrupt our very sexy time, ohhh…”

“That good?” Levi asked, inside him again.

“Yeah,” Eren’s voice was hoarse.

“You got a nice tight little hole for me, baby?” Levi asked, snapping into him.

“Yes Levi, just for you,” Eren answered, lifting his hips in a bridge to meet him.

“Come on ride my cock for me,” Levi ordered, leaning back and slapping Eren’s ass.

Eren rolled his hips bracing himself on his elbows.

“Oh I love your cock, I love you, I love you, I love you, Levi,” Eren murmured.

Levi pushed him back and Eren’s leaking cock bounced against his stomach. He thrust into him with all he had ignoring the rugburn on his knees. He just continued holding those hips and meaty thighs against him. He pounded into him until his breath was ragged and Eren’s cries cracked and turned into sharp little gasps for air. There were halfmoons from Eren’s fingernails on his ass as Eren struggled to hold on and give just as good as he got. Levi removed one hand from Eren’s hips, now reddened from how hard he’d been gripping them. He slipped into a slow grind, running his thumb from the base to just below the head, catching the leaking drops there before running his thumb over the head. Eren’s mouth opened in a silent scream, his voice too gone to shout. His cock convulsed under Levi’s whisper soft touch and he spilled out. Eren threw his head back striking it on the soft carpeted stair, tears in his eyes.

Levi thrust shallowly as Eren rode out his orgasm. When he came down Eren winced in discomfort, putting his palm against Levi’s hard chest.

“M’too sensitive,” he complained.

Levi pulled out, stroking himself. Eren’s hands folded over his own and together they brought Levi to a powerful climax. He cried out as hot strands of pearls fell onto Eren’s chest and happy trail. He didn’t say anything for several moments.

“Wow,” he managed, chest heaving.

“Yeah,” Eren agreed, smiling. “Wow.”

“I fucking love you,” Levi said, looking down at him.

“I love you too,” Eren said, leaning up for a kiss.

Levi dodged it and instead hopped up.

“Yeah, I’m gonna brush my teeth for like an hour now,” Levi said, pointing his thumbs at the bathroom.

Eren sighed.

He returned with a washcloth and wiped the mess off Eren, toothbrush tucked firmly in his mouth. He stood at the sink brushing his tongue and lips furiously as Eren stepped in the shower but it wasn’t long before Levi joined him and for the second time that day they swapped long languid kisses in the shower. Then they finally made it to the bed where Levi turned Eren over examining a small bruise on his back from when they fell. He kissed it. He kissed all the little marks on Eren’s skin until Eren flung the covers over both of them. Levi rested his head on the pillow as from somewhere under the blankets he could hear Eren’s naughty versions of Christmas carols.

“Oh the weather outside is frightful,” Eren sang under the comforter. “But your thighs are so delightful.”

He left a sucking kiss there, raising yet another hickey.

“And since we’ve no place to go…” he said, singing into Levi’s hip. “Let it—“

“Stop!” Levi protested in his low laugh, biffing him with a pillow.

Eren rested his head in the crook of Levi’s arm busy drawing circles on Levi’s chest.

“It is so cold inside,” Levi complained.

“Just turn up the heat.”

“Can’t. It’s expensive,” Levi said.

“How about…” Eren started. “You get a fire started with the dry wood and I’ll go outside and get some more to dry off, okay?”

Levi agreed.

He busied about setting newspaper under the kindling and lighting it, blowing gently to help the flame catch. The door slammed and the sound of Eren’s boots and whistle joined them.

“Come on, come on…” Levi urged the little flame. He blew gently and it flickered.

“Ooo blow harder baby!” Eren laughed, taking off his scarf and stomping to the kitchen, still humming Christmas songs.

“Ah! I got it!” Levi turned around but couldn’t find Eren. “Where’d you go?”

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Levi turned the corner and froze. Sitting on the counter was a very wet and snow covered cat statue. It glared at Levi as if blaming him for what Eren had done.

“I thought we could have some tea,” Eren said, setting the kettle on the stove and filling the teapot infuser with the tea leaves. 

Levi only pointed at the statue.

“Ah, yeah, I felt bad about throwing him outside so I went out and got him for you.”

Eren kissed Levi’s cheek.

“Thanks,” Levi said darkly.

“What’s this over here?” Eren asked, walking around the table where Levi had set the sewing machine.

“Oh, it only took me a few minutes to make that stupid dick stocking so I thought I might as well hem your pants while I had the machine out,” Levi shrugged.

Not only hemmed them but also ironed them because Eren just threw them in a ball in the closet so they always looked wrinkly and baggy (add that to the list of slightly less perfect Eren-ness). He had set them all across the back of the chair and Eren ran a finger over the crisp lines.

The tea kettle shrieked and Eren turned to go get it. He picked it off the stove sniffling.

“Eren?” Levi asked, tapping his elbow. “Are you crying?”

“No, it’s just from being outside,” Eren lied, wiping at the tears on his cheeks.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Levi couldn’t stand to see Eren cry.

“Nothing, I just love you so much,” he said embracing Levi and holding him tight in their tiny kitchen. “Here! I want to give you your gift! Let’s get you your tea and go in front of the fire!”

Eren set the teapot down, then tucked Levi under a few blankets. He poured some out into a cup that Levi took graciously, warming his hands. He poked the fire a few times then grabbed the present from under the tree and set it into Levi’s lap.

“Go ahead, open it!” Eren urged.

“Oh, what’s this?” Levi asked, setting down his tea and looking at the painted coupons.

Eren bounced in excitement.

“Not too shabby on the wrap job,” Levi said, torturing Eren as he examined the package.

“Just open it,” Eren prodded.

“Pretty good bow with this twine…”

“Levi!”

“All in all, not bad this year. Not bad at all,” Levi said, giving it a good shake. “Got a nice weight to it!”

“Levi you put your dick in a stocking, just open it.” Eren rolled his eyes.

Levi gently undid the twine and pulled up the tape at the corners.

“Rip it!” Eren urged, but Levi never tore into his presents like an animal. He liked to savor each one, because as a kid he didn’t get very many and every moment was precious.

He took off the lid to the box and stared at it.

“Well?” Eren asked excitedly.

“Wow, it’s very…what is it?” Levi asked, picking up the red and green item.

“It’s a potholder!” Eren exclaimed. “I used some of my old shirts and cut them into strips and then put them on my loom and wove you a potholder! Because I know how you hate that ugly oven mitt!”

“Oh wow…thanks babe,” Levi said, nodding his head.

“There’s more,” Eren bounced. “Your birthday gift!”

 _Please don’t let there be more._ Levi picked up the potholder like he was afraid there was a snake hiding beneath.

“It’s a matching coaster!” Eren blurted out. “For your tea!”

He picked up the tea mug and placed the coaster under it.

“Tada!”

“It’s amazing babe, thank you so much,” Levi said, pulling Eren into a hug.

“I’m gonna go get me some eggnog and then I have more carols to sing to you,” Eren said seductively before racing back into the kitchen.

[Levi:] all that panic and he got me a potholder

[Hanji:] EMERGENCY! I NEED YOUR HELP!

“Hey Levi, Mikasa just cancelled on us,” Eren said looking at his phone. “Apparently there’s a huge storm due in tomorrow and Armin’s grandpa told us not to bother because the roads are going to be shut down.”

“That’s a shame,” Levi said, squinting at his phone and typing back to Hanji.

[Levi:] with what? i’m kindof busy.

Lights flashed in the driveway and his jaw dropped.

“Oh no you don’t you Shitty Four Eyed—“ Levi growled, ready to smack them upside the head as he wrenched open the door.

“All of the shelters are full and I can’t get ahold of any of the foster parents and I have to be at the airport in—fuck four hours and traffic is fucked, please Levi! Their mom got hit by a car and they need around the clock care! Please!” Hanji begged, shoving a box into his arms and setting a bag on top.

“What? No! Wait! HANJI!” Levi roared after them, but they were already thanking him profusely and getting back into the still running car. “Can you believe this bullshit?”

“What’s in the box?” Eren asked.

They set it down in the middle of the living room and opened it cautiously. Inside were several mewling kittens. Eren put his fist in his mouth to keep from screaming with delight.

“They’re precious!” Eren cooed, picking one up.

“Do not get attached, Eren,” Levi warned. “We cannot afford a cat right now.”

“Well I did just get my Christmas bonus,” Eren reminded him, holding the little ball of fur to his chest.

“We’re just watching them until Hanji gets back and then they can deal with them and—whoops we got a runner—“

One nimble little kitten hopped out of the box and Levi scooped him up.

“Eight!” Eren counted, grabbing another. “There’s eight of them! That’s it, I’m naming them after reindeer.

“Well you’re Blitzen then,” Levi said to the fast kitten. “Because you’re speedy.”

“Levi,” Eren said, holding back a giggle as he placed one back in the box. “He looks just like your statue!”

“No he doesn’t,” Levi said defensively. “He’s got pretty soft fur and little toes and oh look at those teeth, you have nice teeth! So fierce!”

They kept the cat, the real one this time. It wound up being the best Christmas gift Eren ever got him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked, please check out my other fics!!! ;D


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